WARM SPRINGS, GA (WTVM) - More than a year after the original restaurant was lost after a major fire, one of the owners of the original Bulloch House says they will not rebuild on the original property and stay at their temporary location.

Sandy Lampert said that the restaurant will remain at the Victorian Tea Room, once a temporary location while they planned to rebuild at their previous location.

Lampert says that rebuilding at the old location wouldn't make sense.

"It would be disappointing because you cant replace an old historical building like that," said Lampert. "All the beautiful landscaping is gone and it would just be like a new, generic, sitting on top of a bare hill."

Lampert said that the cause of the fire was officially determined as lightning.

Insurance issues and the destruction of the old building's historical charm has Lampert focusing on the advantages of their new property.Post-fire, the restaurant has spent the last year in an 1800's building on Broad street - the hub of downtown Warm Springs.

Lampert and others in the area have seen economic growth from the location, as many patrons now stop to visit other nearby businesses after eating

The financial success has also allowed Lampert to turn the tragedy of the fire, into a meaningful business expansion.

"As I was watching the restaurant burn, it was tragic, horrible. But there were all these little embers, going through the trees, and they looked like little fireflies," said Lampert.

Thus was born the idea for a new gift shop named Fireflies with a connecting bakery named Lightening Bugs. The new businesses opened in November, which turned tragedy into new opportunities for the Lampert family.

Lampert used reclaimed wood from the downtown district to make tables and furniture that are now resting inside the new bakery. The bakery also houses a historic wood door, and other reclaimed material from Warm Springs.

Known for delicious southern-style food, the Bulloch House Restaurant was a popular destination for residents of Meriwether County, as well as large tourist groups, wedding rehearsals, receptions, and other special events.

The historical house was built in 1893 by Bullochville, now Warm Springs, co-founder Benjamin F. Bulloch. The home was converted into a restaurant in 1990.

It sounds just like the plot line of a television show- a woman naked and afraid, lost in remote woods. But Lisa Theris’ journey back to civilization was real life and a real struggle that lasted a month in Bullock County.

It sounds just like the plot line of a television show- a woman naked and afraid, lost in remote woods. But Lisa Theris’ journey back to civilization was real life and a real struggle that lasted a month in Bullock County.